Punjab Kings (PBKS) debutant Vidwath Kaverappa made his first spell in the IPL count, dismissing Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Faf du Plessis at Dharamshala on Thursday, May 9. The right-arm pacer replaced Kagiso Rabada in the pace bowling unit for the must-win encounter.
The Karnataka pacer, who was given his cap by Arshdeep Singh prior to the match, was immediately handed the new ball. He nearly took Virat Kohli’s wicket in his first over, but Ashutosh Sharma squandered the opportunity. Despite allowing 11 runs, including two boundaries from Faf du Plessis, there was plenty of early promise.
In his second over, Vidwath Kaverappa delivered a length delivery just outside the off stump, which the RCB captain raced in and sent over cover. However, he could only connect with the toe end of his bat, causing the ball to go straight to Shashank Singh at deep point. Take a look at Vidwath Kaverappa’s first wicket here:
Du Plessis left after scoring only nine runs off seven deliveries, extending his poor season with the bat.
Vidwath Kaverappa has witnessed three dropped catches by PBKS fielders off his bowling
Aside from Kohli’s lost catch, PBKS fielders let him down twice more during his opening stint. The ace batsman had yet another reprieve as he was dropped on Vidwath Kaverappa’s final ball in his second over.
Rilee Rossouw attempted to hang onto the ball after diving to his left at short cover, but was unable to do so. It wasn’t long before Kaverappa struck again, removing Will Jacks’ important wicket, and Harshal Patel made the catch. However, Patel missed a deep backward square opportunity, giving Rajat Patidar a second chance.
Vidwath Kaverappa bowled his whole stint on the trot, finishing with 2-36 from four overs. The second half of his term was dreary in comparison to his new ball stint, as he allowed a pair of sixes, ruining his numbers and giving RCB momentum.
